Levieria nitens

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Levieria nitens

Description

Moderate to large tree, reaching 45 m; Dioecious. Leaves glabrous, chartaceous, el-liptic, broadly elliptic or oblong, 7-17 by 2.5-6 cm; Inflorescence of lateral or ter-minal pleiochasia or usually finely branched pan-icles, minutely hairy, c. 10-15 cm long;

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, Vogelkop Penin-sula to Huon Peninsula and Tufi present
Malesia: New Guinea (Vogelkop Penin-sula to Huon Peninsula and Tufi).

Notes

Bark smooth or becoming fissured, olive-or grey-brown; under bark pinkish. Wood soft, straw coloured, with large rays. Flowers greenish cream, drupes orange to black on yellow or orange receptacles.
The mature leaves are entirely glabrous, even at the base of the midrib, a character found in other Le-vieria species only in L. orientalis (which has smaller leaves and is confined to Goodenough I.) and in some specimens of L. squarrosa (which has leaves of a different shape). The lamina of L. nitens is broadly elliptic and apiculate, whereas that of L. squarrosa is narrowly obovate or elliptic and usually obtuse and not apiculate (in glabrous forms). Confusion is more likely to occur between L. nitens and L. montana. In the latter species the leaf shape is often very similar to that of L. nitensand the inconspicuous hairs of the leaf may be confined to the underside of the midrib and may be largely lost by abrasion.

Citation

PERKINS 1915: p. 197. – In: Bot. Jahrb.: f. 3, 15
A.C. SMITH 1941 – In: J. Arn. Arb.: 232
PERKINS 1911: p. 7. – In: Pfl. R.: f. 3R-S
PHILIPSON 1980 – In: Blumea: 379